TTM: Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings

Sent: 22 October 2011
Received: 14 May 2012
Transit Time: 205 days

I sent this 2011-12 Donruss common to Dustin c/o the Kings after he scored the game-winning goal against Phoenix on the 20th of October. Who could've guessed back then that those two teams would be back at it in the Western Conference Finals?  The card was postmarked on May 10th, so it looks like the Kings' captain took some time after knocking the Blues out of the chase (with Dustin scoring the game-winner in the fourth and final game of that series) to catch up on some auto requests.

After a bit of a shaky start to his NHL career, the Ithaca, New York, native has consistently been over the 50-point mark his last five seasons and this year tied his career-high assist total with 32. Typically not a statistical leader, Brown has been tearing it up in the playoffs this year and shows no signs of letting off the gas anytime soon.

Current TTM Stats:

20 Sent; 10 Received; 10 Pending - 50% Success Rate

Pack Crackin': May 5th, 2012 - Part 3

The third and final pack I picked up at Target was from the Upper Deck's 2011-12 Series 2 release. Like the Series 1 pack I had acquired during the same trip, there was only one card of any significance:

The Bill Sweatt Young Guns card seems to be averaging about a buck on eBay, so no real value has yet been assigned to the Vancouver winger's RC. Reportedly a defensive-minded player, Sweatt made his NHL debut this past December for the Canucks, participating in only two games before being sent back down to the Chicago Wolves. His time with the Wolves this past seen has been moderately productive, as he racked up 34 points in 74 games with a +9 rating. If he sticks with the Wolves next season, I'll likely fire off this card looking for a TTM auto from the Illinois native.

The rest of the mediocre pack broke down like this:
272: David Booth - Vancouver Canucks
273: Manny Malhotra - Vancouver Canucks
287: Mathieu Garon - Tampa Bay Lightning
340: Evgeni Nabokov - NY Islanders
400: Jeff Carter - Columbus Blue Jackets
408: Semyon Varlamov - Colorado Avalanche
417: Jussi Jokinen - Carolina Hurricanes

While much of this Canucks-biased pack will be headed to the trade list, I was mildly pleased to pull a Jeff Carter CBJ card. It fills a hole in my collection, for sure, but his lame performance in a Blue Jacket sweater this season leaves a sour taste. It is ironic, though, that after throwing a hissy fit over being traded from the Flyers to the Jackets he's ending up with a legitimate shot at The Cup.

Pack Crackin': May 5th, 2012 - Part 2

The second pack I acquired from my trip to Target was from Upper Deck's Series 1 release. The design of the 2011-12 UD set is much more appealing than the Victory product, so it's always a pleasure to add more of these cards to my collection. The insert card from this pack is from the Canvas subset:

I think these cards have a pretty classy look to them and, at 1:6 odds, are not difficult to come by. I'm not an Evander Kane fan, though, so this one is destined for the trade list.

The Steve Downie common that I pulled has an outstanding photo. Now that's one helluva celly! You'd think he just tied up Game 7 of The Finals. Unfortunately I already had a copy of this card, but even if I didn't it's headed to the trade list for one of you Lightning fans to snag.

This Shane Doan common didn't catch my attention for what's in the foreground, but for how UD totally screwed up the beyond-the-glass scene. First, and not at all a screw-up, is the goblinesque white-haired woman sending Mr. Doan the stink-eye. Classic! But UD screwed the pooch on the placement of their logo. Instead of covering the mustache-less Wilford Brimley look-a-like, they slap it right across the hockey hottie sitting next to Mrs. Snarls. Way to go, Upper Deck.  Way to go. Anyway, card 53 was not already on my trade list - but it soon will be.

The rest of the pack worked out like this:
32: Jaroslav Halak - St. Louis Blues (dupe)
93: Patric Hornqvist - Nashville Predators
94: Ryan Suter - Nashville Predators (dupe)
136: Niklas Kronwall - Detroit Red Wings (dupe)
141: Kari Lehtonen - Dallas Stars (dupe)

Not a great haul, by any means, and with a slight Nashville slant. My loss is your gain.

Pack Crackin': May 5th, 2012 - Part 1

Living in central Kentucky means going without many of the comforts you would normally find in larger metropolitan areas. Major-league sports franchises, for one, and - equally as important - local card shops. Within 30 miles of my home there is exactly one LCS, and they never stock anything hockey related. So it's with great sorrow that I am reduced to satisfying my pack addiction through outlets such as Walmart, Meijer, and today's pusher - Target. I'll admit that I've never picked up a pack at Target before, so while Mrs. Hockeyfan and I were out rushing from errand to errand, I found a spare few minutes to see what they had to offer. Not much, as it turns out. I picked up a pack each from Victory and both series of Upper Deck. I was about as thrilled as you are, but here's what I ended up with... starting with the Victory pack:

2011-12 Victory 220: Aaron Palushaj

By far the most remarkable card was this Aaron Palushaj rookie. Perhaps the most valuable, book-wise, of the Victory Rookie subset, this card stands out to me because Palushaj is a fellow native metro-Detroiter. Besides the local connection, he's a great candidate to become an addition to my USA-born TTM collection. I haven't been brave enough yet to ship off a card to any teams north of the border, so how long it takes to get his John Hancock is anyone's guess. For now his RC will be added to my trade list.

The remainder of the pack was comprised of:
48: Michael Frolik - Chicago Blackhawks
103: P.K. Subban - Montreal Canadiens
130: Jason Spezza - Ottawa Senators
133: Mike Richards - Philadelphia Flyers
177: Phil Kessel - Toronto Maple Leafs

Trade bait, every bit of it.